Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
Photo by Jane
BART rider Jane writes the following bit of observation:
I saw this last week at around 4pm – I thought segways were supposed to be the transportation of the future, so BART wouldn’t be necessary, right?
Send us your BART observations!
Photo by Flickr user Telstar Logistics
7:13am, October 13, 2009.
The first big rain of the season; I stepped onto the 5-Fulton bus for my usual commute and felt like I had just battled a true typhoon. I went to my favorite seat immediately and settled down.
There were a couple of men talking about San Francisco; they were both recent transplants to the city, so they were making comparisons of their previous locations to The City. I felt like it was just a simple exchange of a few words, so I drifted off into my own thoughts, and onto a warm slumber during the 40-minute commute.
Rain poured outside while our bus driver perilously navigated the slick streets; meanwhile the two men continued to talk across the aisle with each other, until one, who introduced himself as “James”, decided he would just sit beside his new companion, who said his name was “Jack”.
As the bus continued on towards downtown, more passengers boarded with gloomy expressions over the unexpected rain. However, through the gray faces, Jack and James seemed to melt into their own world, sharing their life stories with one another.
Somehow, that small scene from this morning has stuck with me all day–that, amidst all the recent negative Muni coverage, there are still small beams of hope shining through all the mess.
Photo by Flickr user Picklesthefirecat
An email from Muni rider Katherine:
Hey guys,
Man what a weathery day!
From SFAppeal: “2:43 PM: Not really related to what we’re talking about, but since this is already a Muni post, what the hell? MTA spokesperson Judson True says that the L Taraval’s derailed between 35th and 36 Aves at 2:05 today. No one was injured, and the cause for the derailment is still unknown.
L riders will be taking a bus between 22 and the zoo.”
My update: my trusty security guard friend, Myles, was waiting to board the train that “derailed”. Apparently it was switching from the outbound to inbound rails and a giant gust of wind caused the electric guide bar thingy and attached electrical box thingy to come completely off the top of train. He thinks the system power cables came along with it. Hence, no L service after 22.
Definitely not a good day for my good ‘ol L line…
The derailment follows a morning of general wet, humid commuting in which NextBus joined its friend Muni in total broken-down-land.
And we’ve still got the evening commute to go … ah!
What has your experience been like today?
Photo by Flickr user calixtonpix
Yuck, the first storm of the season! We are hearing commuting problems on our Twitter feed about mechanical problems, delays at the West Oakland and Civic Center stations earlier in the morning, and other rainy day transit issues. How was your commute on BART today? Comment and let us know!
Photo by Flickr user fiveinchpixie
The folks over at BART.gov totally get why we love sharing transit stories. They’ve recently featured musician Jesse Morris, whose voice “sounds just like Johnny Cash,” one bystanders has said.
From BART.gov’s feature story:
Jesse Morris, known to many BART riders as “the punk rock Johnny Cash,” does sound uncannily like the country music icon, but he likes to mix it up sometimes with a little punk from the Ramones and the Clash. He has played in stations for years and is perhaps one of the best known BART buskers, part of a tradition of musicians playing in public places for tips, or just for the fun of it.
Read more about how Jesse got started playing music and why he plays at BART stations.
We’re not affiliated with any transit agency (of course you knew that!), but it’s great to see some love for transit stories.
Got another slice of life aboard BART? Let us know.
Photo by Tangobaby
In Muni news, this week served up the following:
But enough news. Let’s look at pretty pictures as we get ready for the weekend, eh? These are all culled from the Muni Photos Flickr Group.
Photo by Flickr user justvisiting
Photo by Flickr user fred zilla
Photo by eviloars
Enjoy yourselves, and we’ll see you back here Monday!